The Torment of Tantalus
by Smenzer
Summary: The Rebels are mysteriously summoned to a Sith Temple where strange forces are at work. Will they get out alive? Luke Vader Halloween story. Obviously this is AU.
1. Default Chapter

Title: The Torment of Tantalus

Author: Smenzer

Rating: PG

Pairing: ?

Summary: The Rebels are mysteriously summoned to a Sith Temple where strange forces are at work. Will they get out alive? Read and find out! A SW Halloween fic. Obviously this is AU.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They belong to George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd and Fox. This is just for fun.

Luke Skywalker wiped the streaming sweat from his brow and paused for a moment, his chest heaving. Swarming insects buzzed around his head, diving at his eyes and ears. Most of them were bloodsuckers and the young Jedi hoped they didn't carry some deadly disease. Annoyed, he swatted at them but it did little good. The flying pests were too fast and they avoided his hand easily. Even the Force was useless at keeping them away. Towering trees wrapped in deep green vines thicker than his thigh were all around him as were a myriad of plant species. Many of the trees had tall roots that stuck out of the ground, some of the roots actually standing high enough above the poor water-drenched soil to form caves. The air was filled with the sweet scent of green growth and the stronger aroma of decayed vegetation. Although located in the planet's tropical belt, the sunlight that reached the rainforest's floor was weak; green shafts of pale light filtered through the extensive canopy above. The constant drip of water was over-powered by the raucous call of tree-living animals and noisy birds. Hundreds of species of insects crawled all around and Luke was glad so far none of his party had gotten bit or stung by a dangerous species. Although small, many insects – especially arachnids – carried a deadly toxin. For the last several hours he had trudged through the middle of a steaming tropical jungle and he didn't even know why! Scratching at an insect bite on his hand, Luke turned to look at the man who had led him here. "Han, tell me again why we're here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Because we received a message, that's why." Han Solo replied as he carefully climbed over an especially large aerial root from a bungago tree. "We're supposed to meet someone in this old temple…"

"And we're just going there?!" Luke rolled his blue eyes, thinking it was all very insane. "But WHO are we supposed to meet there? And why way out here? I'm getting eaten alive by all these bugs! And my clothes are soaking wet."

"We're meeting out here because it's far from the blasted Empire, that's why." Han pulled the electronic map from his belt and paused, checking their current location. "Just be glad we're not lost, Kid. All this moisture isn't good for electronics. That's why we had to leave the droids on the Falcon. Besides, I thought you'd like it out here."

"I do like it." Luke replied as he watched his friend fiddle with the controls on the portable map. He could sense life all around him through the Force and it gave him a warm, contented feeling. He watched a bright orange-and-black spider slowly make its way down a nearby tree trunk, its eight legs working in perfect harmony. The spider's abdomen was bigger than his fist and he could clearly see its fangs with his bare eyes. Princess Leia came from around the tree trunk and was about to place her hand unknowingly on top of the spider and he caught her wrist just in time. "Careful, Leia. You don't want to get bit."

Leia stared at the spider and shivered. "I could do without all the creepy-crawlies. Of course, they're still better than the Empire. It's almost like I can't put my hand down anywhere. There are bugs all over the place."

"Well, this IS their home." Luke turned back to Han. "I'm just worried this mysterious message could be a trap."

"Yeah, like the Empire would come way out here! With all this green growth I had a heck of a time finding a place for the Falcon to land. Trust me, Kid. If the Empire were here they'd burn all of this to the ground. This is unspoiled wilderness. No one's been here for at least a hundred years." Han finished fritting with the map and pointed to his right. "The temple should be just over that rise."

Leia stared in the indicated direction. "What rise? All I see is more of the same!"

"Well, trust me! It's there." Han moved forward and used his arm to shove green growth on the side, making a tiny opening in which he squeezed through. "We'll find out more when we reach the temple. The person we're to meet said he had some important information on the Empire to give us and refused to meet us anywhere else."

"I don't like the sound of that." Luke slapped at a grape-sized iridescent cobalt insect on his arm that was sticking its feeding tube into his skin. A red smear of blood was left behind and he frowned. "How can we trust this person? We could be walking right into a trap!"

"Relax, Kid! Chewie's with us, remember?" Han plunged forward, ignoring the black cloud of bugs that swarmed around his head.

Luke glanced back and saw the tall Wookie following behind Leia, his wet fur plastered down to his body. Otherwise than being wet, Chewie looked right at home in the rainforest and hadn't really complained all that much. For a few short moments the Jedi envied the Wookie's thick coat and how it protected him from the biting insects. Then he remembered the tropical heat and quickly changed his mind. The heat and humidity must be as hard on Chewbacca as it was on the humans he was with. Worse, his body didn't sweat like a human's so he panted loudly to cool himself. "You OK, Chewie? This heat isn't getting to you is it?"

Chewie growled his reply and said he was fine.

The trail Han hacked through the jungle became more steep and Luke could feel the muscles in his calves pulling as he climbed upward. The wet ground beneath his boots was slick and footing was precarious. Several times he almost slipped but managed to hang onto the vegetation that surrounded him, the green fronds stopping him from crashing into Leia. After what seemed like forever, he finally reached the top of the hill and he drew in a lungful of breath. The surrounding view was spectacular!

The vast jungle was spread out below them in more shades of green than he could ever name and smack dab between all the treetops was a vast ruin. The crumbling gray structure stretched towards the azure sky. It was a step pyramid partly wrapped in green jungle vines, most of its steps still intact. Overcome by the incredible sight, Luke forgot to breath. An indescribable sensation of awe filled him and he felt that all the misery of the rainforest and the pesky biting insects was worth it for this one moment, this one view. Excitement of the unknown filled his heart and he forgot his worries about an Imperial trap. This was the sort of thing he had dreamed about as a child. It was like discovering a lost city that time had forgotten. Then Leia spoke and the magic of the moment evaporated into the constant steam and mist of the rainforest.

"Well, at least we found the place." Leia stated dryly as she started down the hill towards the ruin that waited just below. "Now let's hope our contact is there."

Luke followed and the giant bungago trees once again blocked his view of the step pyramid. Water dripped from the leaves above onto Luke's head, the drops cool and refreshing. A short time later he emerged from the jungle and the mass step pyramid was right before him. Even in its current ruined state, Luke was amazed by its sheer size. The structure seemed to reach up and up into the sky, seemingly forever. Although many modern buildings were much taller, the ancient step pyramid was more astonishing because it had been built by hand using primitive methods. The various layers were built of huge limestone blocks that had been painstakingly moved into position on wooden sledges and ramps of pressed earth. Moving closer to the block closest to him, Luke was amazed that he couldn't even reach the top of it. Each block was impossibly huge, its height and width surpassing four Wookies. He reached out to touch the limestone block before him and was shocked to feel icy cold seeping into his hand. The cold raced up his arm into his chest and he shivered, a dark cloud passing before the tropical sun in a perfectly clear sky. Luke jerked his hand free and backed away from the step pyramid. "I have a bad feeling about this place…"

"Don't be getting jittery, Luke." Han said as he started to move along the side of the massive structure. "Every time we go somewhere you get bad feelings! Now come on and don't dawdle. You want to get lost?"

"But it's icy!" Luke protested as he hurried after the others. "I think we should go back to the Falcon and forget this whole thing. The Rebellion is doing well enough without this information!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Han snorted as he reached out and placed him palm on the nearest limestone block. Heat from the sun soaked into his skin and the smuggler almost got burned. Yanking his hand away, he swore in Huttese.

"It's cold, isn't it?" Luke asked, sure that Han had felt what he had.

"I almost burned myself!" Han complained as he led the party around piles of crumbled stone that had fallen from above. Here and there vines had turned the gray stones green with vibrant growth, further damaging the huge structure. Moss and rootless plants grew from cracks and along flat ledges. "You lived on Tatooine. You know the sun heats rocks. I shouldn't have to tell you these things."

"It must be the Dark Side then…" Luke whispered to himself, suddenly nervous. The step pyramid no longer seemed awe-inspiring and marvelous to him but a dreadful beast that lurked and waited for the unwary, ready to snap them up in hungry jaws. Even the stone itself seemed darker in hue. He briefly wondered what the place had been used for and why it had been built. Could it be a Sith Temple, one forgotten through the long ages until someone had accidentally stumbled across it and took it for a good secret meeting place?

"Luke, we really need this information. It could be invaluable!" Princess Leia urged as she paused, one hand on Luke's shoulder. "I'm sure the place is just old and worn down. That's probably what you sense."

Luke closed his eyes and stretched out with the Force. A black and rotten hole existed among all the green life surrounding them and he was positive it was the temple. The place was icy and cold, untouched by the hot sun above. A foul wind, like the rank breath from a tomb, seemed to brush across his face and the Jedi almost choked on its darkness. Luke's blue eyes sprung open and he breathed in deeply the clean scent of the nearby jungle. "We should leave this place now. It's a Sith Temple."

Han had kept moving ahead while the Jedi had talked to Leia and now the smuggler called out. "Hey! I found the stairs!"

"Stairs? What stairs?" Luke asked as he leaped over crumbled blocks to reach Han. His friend just pointed and Luke's gaze followed his finger to land on the crumbling staircase that led to the top of the pyramid. Tearing his eyes off the tiny structure that waited at the very top, he moved closer to his friend. "We really should go now. This is a Sith Temple and trust me, you don't want to go in there."

Han smiled his crooked grin, then stepped onto the first crumbling step. "See, Kid? Nothing to worry about! No spooks are going to grab you…"

"It's not spooks I'm worried about!" Luke replied, wishing that Han would listen to him. But his friend didn't really believe in the Force and thought the Jedi was some old hokey religion. How could he make his friends see the very real danger this step pyramid represented? Even when Han witnessed the incredible things he could do, like levitate a rock without actually touching it, he was convinced it was a trick of some kind. Or he just shrugged it off and just didn't think about it. "Don't you understand Han? It's the Sith!"

"So what are these Sith going to do to us?" Han asked as he carefully climbed up a few more steps. The steps were especially narrow and incredibly steep. In order to keep his balance, the smuggler was forced to lean forward and place both hands on the steps directly in front of him, thus going upward in a weird sort of crawl. Stopping on the fifth step up, Han glanced back at Luke, Leia and Chewie. "And I thought you said Vader was a Sith…"

"He is!" Luke replied, wishing Han would come down. "And I don't know what a Sith Temple might do to us. I never was inside one. There was a place strong in the Dark Side on Dagobah, but this is vastly different. Just come down, all right?"

"Well, trust me Kid! Vader isn't going to be hanging around this dump! He's off on that giant monster of a ship." Han laughed, and then turned around on the narrow step to quickly. His boot slid on the mossy step and he waved his arms wildly as he tried to catch his balance. But when he fell it was towards the pyramid and the steps caught him. Han leaned against the limestone, one elbow propped on a crumbling step.

"Han! Are you all right?" Leia called as she started to make her way up to him, Chewie right beside her. The stairs were wide enough to easily fit forty people arm to spreaded arm.

"I'm fine!" Han reassured his friends. "You just have to be careful. There's moss everywhere and its slick. And that has nothing to do with Sith, either!"

Luke stood alone at the bottom of the towering staircase as he watched his friends make the ascent towards the top. When they were a quarter of the way up, Luke sighed loudly and started up after them. He had no idea what might await them inside the Sith Temple, but he couldn't let them face it alone. Was the Dark Side already messing with their minds? Was that why they refused to listen to his warnings of danger or were they so eager for the information that they'd take any risk blindly? And who was the mysterious source of information that had led them here and did that person mean them harm? The steps were slick under his boots and he almost fell once, only his quick Jedi reflexes saving him. Worst, the stone itself was treacherous, once an entire step just crumbling away to powder under his weight. The crazy, impossibly steep angle of the staircase forced him to touch each step with his bare hands, the icy cold seeping into his body. At the same time the sun above baked into his head and back until it was almost unbearable. The weird combination was beginning to give him a headache and a light pounding started just behind his eyes.

Finally he reached the top and Luke joined the others where they waited far away from the edge. A roofed structure held up by round pillars, stood before them. The interior of this structure was inky black and cautiously Luke approached it. Boldly he stepped into the shadows and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they did, he could see an even darker doorway that led into the step pyramid itself.

"We're supposed to meet our contact inside." Leia told him from where she stood in the sunlight.

"You can still change your mind." Luke reminded her. He could feel the darkness thrumming around him now like a living thing, like an immense heart beating from within the evil structure. He really didn't want to go in there, but if his friends did he would, too. Besides, Light always won over the Dark, didn't it? But could Light beat the Dark in its own home? Of that, he wasn't too sure and had the uneasy feeling that the Dark would have the advantage. "It's not too late to go back, you know."

Pulling out a glowrod, Leia boldly stepped forward and breezed past her startled brother.

"Leia, wait!" Luke called to her retreating back as she disappeared into the dark throat of the pyramid. "Can't we discuss this?"

"Don't be scared of the dark, Kid." Han advised, patting Luke on his shoulder. Then he shoved him towards the waiting doorway where Leia had vanished. "And you better catch up to the Royal Highness before she gets lost."

Having no choice left, Luke stepped into the darkness and allowed it to swallow him.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Torment 2

Luke, a glowrod in one hand, slowly moved down the dust-covered staircase he found himself trapped on. Leia was somewhere in front of him but he couldn't see her, the pale green light from his glowrod too weak to penetrate the gloomy darkness. The limestone walls around him seemed to press in, as if trying to squeeze the life from his fragile mortal body, but he was sure it was just his imagination. The Temple had stood all these ages and it wasn't about to come down on their heads just now. But the Sith, now that was a different matter. If only they'd listen to his advice! "Leia…"

"We need this information, Luke!" Leia's voice floated up to him from somewhere just ahead. "You know how important it is to win this war."

"Yes, I know." The staircase curved and Luke hurried to catch up to his bold sister, his boots throwing thick clouds of dust into the air. He could feel the dust brushing against his face, tickling his nose and he fought the urge to sneeze. The Dark Side was stronger than ever now and it seemed to hover around their little group like a dark cloud. The walls had also grown narrower and they brushed his shoulders on either side, the stone cold and damp. Han's boots clattered noisily behind him, the smuggler not even trying to be quite. A bit more distant was the occasional snort or grunt from Chewie, the sounds echoing off the enclosing stone. They had descended far more rapidly than the climb to the top of the step pyramid had taken, partly because this interior staircase was in better shape. "I just feel we should be more cautious, stick together. Anything could be living in here…"

"It's all in your imagination, Kid." Han commented from behind as he continued to clatter noisily on the stairs. "No one's been here since that guy died…"

Luke paused on a step, one hand pressed against the cold wall for balance. He glanced back at his friend, a curious look on his face. "What guy? Do you know anything about this place?"

"I heard a few things, but it all happened centuries ago. Nothing for you to worry about, Kid." Han's face glowed eerily in the light from the green glowrod that Luke held, odd shadows forming. "The guy must be dust in his tomb by now. Don't tell me you believe in ghosts?"

"What happened?" Luke asked, once again moving down the stairs. A few moments later he was relieved to see his sister waiting for him just ahead, the stairs changing into a flat, narrow tunnel that disappeared into the darkness. The floor beneath their feet was smoothed from use and pools of dank water had collected in a few hollow spots. He held his glowrod higher and noticed a flowing script carved into the walls. When the light from the glowrod fell on them, they started to glow, first white but then red. The red light reflected in the puddles on the floor, making it look as if blood had been spilt. "I don't like this."

"You don't like anything, Kid." Han grumbled as he squeezed past Luke to go stand next to Leia. "So, now what?"

Leia stared down the dark tunnel. "I guess we go that way. I don't see what other option we have. Our contact has to be here somewhere."

A loud boom echoed upward from deeper in the pyramid and Luke shivered, sure it was a bad omen. The sound reminded him of a huge door somewhere slamming shut. Or perhaps the pyramid wasn't as stable as it looked, unless… Luke's blue eyes widened in sudden realization of what the sound could have meant. Why hadn't he thought of it earlier? "Leia! Han! This place could have booby traps! We just can't go tromping around down here!"

"No kidding." Han remarked as he followed Leia down the wet passage. "Places like this are famous for traps and often they got really weird ones. I just hope a fifty-ton limestone block hadn't flattened our contact. You step in the wrong spot and BAM! All your worries are over. You still want to hear that story, Kid?"

A chill traveled down Luke's spine. He hadn't thought traps could be so … heavy. His empty hand moved to his lightsaber and caressed its metal handle. Just touching it made him feel better. "Sure, Han. But let's just find this contact and get out of here."

"Well, I don't know the complete story, just bits and pieces, rumors." Han's boots splashed through the red water, the odd glowing red script following them down the narrow corridor. "I heard the guy that built this place was a king, but he went nuts and killed someone close to him. Some say he killed his wife, others say it was his son. And I don't mean a regular killing but a sacrifice. Then he supposedly vanished. Others say he burst into flame and was consumed by the same gods he had offered the sacrifice to. I'm sure it really doesn't matter as it was so long ago."

"No wonder this place is strong with the Dark Side…" Luke whispered. Human sacrifices. This place was worst than he had thought, stained with human blood. Water dripped from above and the cold drops fell onto his head, others splashing into the puddles under their feet. Could the evil king's restless soul still be floating around down here somewhere? The thought was more than he could stand. A live Sith was bad enough, but a dead one could be far worse…that is, if the king had been a Sith and the young Jedi was beginning to be sure he was. Han obviously hadn't learned everything in the bits of rumor he had picked up from who knows where.

Just ahead, Leia had stopped in front of a towering door set in solid stone. A pair of eyes was carved onto the door's otherwise plain surface and the Princess stood transfixed, a horrified look on her face. "I… I saw them move!"

Han moved closer to Leia and peered over her shoulder at the carved eyes. Each eye was as big as his hand and they were set at chest level on the door. They also looked realistic, the round eyeball bulging out from the eye socket. Even in the dim reddish light one could clearly see the cornea and pupil. But it was also obvious they were made from stone. "Luke is making you jittery with all his talk about the Dark Side, that's all. Look! It's solid stone! It can't move."

"But I saw it!" Princess Leia repeated. "They were closed and when I reached the door they opened! They're watching us!"

"I told you we shouldn't have come in here!" Luke quickly added, glancing around uneasily at the walls and ceiling. Who knew what other surprises lurked within the dark heart of a Sith Temple? It was also possible that they weren't really inside the Temple yet, even if they were deep inside the step pyramid. The Temple proper could start on just the other side of the door…

"I'm sure it was just a trick of the light." Han reassured Leia as he reached out for the door's handle. He gripped it with a tightened fist and pulled. Nothing. "Dang thing is stuck! Chewie, come over here and open this door!"

Chewie growled and shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous! The door's not going to bite you! I don't care if it does have eyes on it! Now get over here and help open it!" Han ordered, aspiration in his voice. He turned to Luke and poked a finger into his chest. "You're spooking everyone with your nonsense and kooky old religion!"

"You just don't want to admit that there's things you can't explain or understand." Luke replied calmly. The young Jedi understood Han very well. His friend preferred to live in a galaxy where everything was rational and could be explained by science. Things like the Force were more supernatural and harder to explain, thus Han preferred to pretend they didn't exist.

Luke pressed his back against the damp wall so Chewie could squeeze past him. The big Wookie gripped the metal door handle with a fur-covered hand and pulled. With a loud screech, the door swung open to reveal utter blackness. The air that rushed out at them was foul and Leia covered her nose with a hand. They all stood still, listening for the slightest sound from within.

"Do you hear something?" Luke asked as he tilted his head to the side in a vain attempt to hear well. The sound was very faint and hard to identify.

Leia inched closer to Han. "Yeah, I think I do…"

"Maybe it's our mysterious contact…" Han said hopefully, but his tone suggested he didn't believe it at all. "Whatever it is, it's getting louder."

"And closer." Luke pulled his lightsaber off his belt and braced his feet in the ready position like Master Yoda had taught him. He vowed to be ready for anything. Perhaps Han was right and it was their contact. No one had ever said their contact had been human and the galaxy was filled with thousands of species. Still, Luke sensed it was something else. He stared into the utter blackness until he thought he'd gone blind, for he was starting to see red spots. The sound grew louder and it reminded him of stone clicking on stone. But if that's what it was, this would have to be a whole field of pebbles rolling at them. The red dots grew bigger and brighter until Luke realized what they were, the glowing eyes of hundreds of rats!

The first rat leaped at Luke and struck him on his stomach. He heard Leia shriek as the wave of rats washed over them, heard Han firing his blaster over and over. To his relief, most of the black rodents just raced past them with only a few bold enough to attack the intruders. The Jedi flung the gnawing rat off his stomach, its teeth taking a hunk of his black tunic with it. A few more were biting at his knee-high boots and Luke deftly sliced them with his saber. Then the flood of rats was past and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Is everyone all right?"

"Uggh! That was horrible!" Leia admitted as she rubbed at a bite on her arm. "What do you think caused them to act like that?"

"They were fleeing from something." Luke replied. He had felt the rodents' fear through the Force. "We just happened to get in their way."

"But what else could be down here?" She asked. "What could scare such a huge pack of rats?"

"Let's go find out." Luke stepped bravely into the dark room, the green blade of his lightsaber hissing. Han, Leia and Chewie were right behind him, their glowrods held high so he could see. They had entered what appeared to be a vast room or cavern, the walls to distant to be seen. No red sigils glowed here to light their way. They slowly inched further away from the door, the soft circle of their light giving them a false sense of safety. Then a new sound reached their ears.

Footsteps.

"It could be our contact." Leia whispered to the others.

Luke's grip tightened on his lightsaber, his palm sweating even though the room was cold. The Dark Side of the Force had just increased greatly, as if a Sith had entered the room with them. But that was impossible. There were only two Sith and they were both far away, weren't they? Then a new sound echoed through the large chamber.

Mechanical breathing.

Luke's heart leaped into his throat. That sound! He knew that sound!

The tall figure of Darth Vader stepped into the light cast by their glowrods. The pale light reflected off the shiny curves of his breath mask and his long cape fluttered in a stray breeze. "So, my Son, you are the one that has called me here so mysteriously but your choice of meeting places leaves much to be desired. I find it surprising that you have decided to switch sides, but I'm pleased. Now what is this important information you have on the Rebels?"

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Torment 3

Luke's mouth dropped open in shock, his lightsaber wavering in front of him unsteadily. He quickly glanced at his friends behind him, and then snapped his eyes back onto the Sith Lord. "I … I didn't call you here! I'm not switching sides! Why, I don't even know what I'm doing here! Han, tell him!"

"Yeah," Han added, his voice filled with bravado he really didn't feel at the moment. Being stuck inside a creepy old pyramid with Darth Vader wasn't exactly his idea of fun. "Luke is right. We didn't ask you here. We received a message from someone offering information on the Empire, so you're the one switching sides!"

"Do not toy with me, Solo." Vader advanced towards his unruly son, one hand raised in threat towards the Rebels. His mechanical breathing echoed loudly in the dark chamber, only the occasional ping of dripping water disturbing it. "I do not appreciate being dragged out here for nothing; nor do my colleagues. I strongly suggest you stop playing games."

"Colleagues?" Luke repeated fearfully as he slowly backed away from his father. He had automatically presumed Vader was alone and now he berated himself for his stupidity. Of course Vader wasn't alone! Dozens of stormtroopers traveled with him everywhere, especially in a situation like this. His heart hammered loudly in his chest as he realized he had failed his friends and now they would all become prisoners of the Empire! At the thought of his poor sister locked away in a cell again, Luke grew angry. "You lied to us! Admit it, Father, you sent us that message to trap us! You couldn't catch me any other way so you resulted to treachery!"

"No, Luke." Vader stepped closer, no fear of his son's ignited lightsaber halting his movements. "You ARE the one that sent the message to me on Executor. Do not play games with me, Son. Just because you are my offspring does not give you the right to amuse yourself with such situations. Perhaps you find this amusing but be assured I do not. I know it wasn't Captain Solo or the Princess that sent the message; both are too firm in their beliefs of the Rebellion to ever change. But you are young and inexperienced, therefore you are the one that sent the message."

"But I didn't! I swear!" Luke protested, his blue eyes wide as saucers. "Stay away from me, Father!

"We don't know what you're talking about! Luke would never switch sides!" Leia stated boldly. "Someone sent us a message and it was you! Either that or you arrested our contact. Why don't you just admit it?"

Vader's black-gloved hand sped out and snatched Luke by the front of his black tunic. "Do not lie to me, Son. I will not warn you again."

Luke's heart skipped a beat as his father's hand latched itself onto his wet shirt and lifted him off his feet. Panic spread throughout his body and he didn't know what to do. Instead of getting better by telling the truth, it had just gotten worse! Evil cackling floated out of the total darkness that surrounded their little circle of light and Luke immediately turned his head in the direction it seemed to be coming from. The blood in his veins seemed to freeze as a horrible apparition drifted out of the shadows into the light.

It was covered from head to foot in a dust-covered, dark hooded robe, one pale skeletal hand clutching a gnarled walking stick. Thick cobwebs hung like lace from the sleeves of its robe and these fluttered as it glided across the floor towards them. Its face appeared to be rotten, the skin hanging from the bones in folds and creases. But worst of all was its eyes, red and glowing with pure evil and hatred. Darkness radiated out of it in immense waves, the strength of it staggering. And when its horrid mouth opened to laugh he could see its teeth were a scummy yellow, in places coated with green. It appeared to be right at home in the abandoned pyramid, a corpse that had crawled out of its tomb.

Luke's mouth dropped open in horror but only gurgling sounds emerged. So he pointed a finger at the creature, sure his Father would strike the horrible zombie down before it killed them all.

"Lord Vader," the zombie spoke. "I see you have finally caught your son. Is he the one that called us here?"

"I believe he is, although he denies it." Darth Vader informed the newcomer.

"Emperor Palpatine! I should have known you were behind this ploy!" Princess Leia glared at the newcomer angrily. "You'll never get away with this!"

"The Emperor?" Luke asked, shocked that this horrid creature was his Father's Master. "You're the Emperor?"

"Yes, young Skywalker, I am." Palpatine floated closer, his feet lost in the darkness. It was eerie how he moved so smoothly and silently as if he were a ghost instead of flesh and blood. He finally reached the small group and stretched a bony hand out towards Luke's face.

Luke instinctively pulled his head away from the horrid hand but it was no use. With Vader still holding him off his feet he couldn't get away. The young Jedi considered kicking his Father and escaping into the darkness, but dismissed it for the moment. He didn't know what lay in wait out there and running around blindly inside the step pyramid was a bad idea. Open pits could mar the floor and one could easily fall right into one. Not only that, but nasty surprises such as upright spears or poisonous creatures might wait at the bottom of them. He just hoped Han or Leia wouldn't do something rash to make the situation worst. Palpatine's hand closed around his chin and jaw, the flesh cold as a block of ice. The grip tightened and he allowed his head to be turned this way and that, as if he was some exotic creature being examined in a marketplace. "Get your slimy hand off me!"

"Such language!" Palpatine stared Luke in the eyes, unaffected by the insult. "You'll soon learn your place, young one. You're much like your Father, both in appearance and impulsiveness. You'll make a fine apprentice, I believe. But first let us settle this confusion about who called whom here."

"Get your rotten hand off him!" Han warned as he pulled the blaster off his belt and aimed it right at Palpatine. But before the smuggler could fire, a boot came flying out of the surrounding shadows and kicked it from his hand. The blaster clattered noisily on the stone floor and vanished from sight, swallowed up by the eternal night around them. Han stared in surprise at the red head that had appeared out of nowhere, a viroblade in her hand. "Jade!"

Chewie roared angrily, white canines flashing in the weak light of the glowrods. He moved to crush the female intruder with his strong, fur covered arms.

Han was quick to stop him. "Easy, Chewie. If you do something, who knows what they'll do to Luke?"

The Wookie growled his complaints.

"Yeah, I don't like this any better than you do! This has setup written all over it and it stinks!" Han grumbled as he kept one eye on the redheaded assassin.

"What a rag-tag bunch…" a voice said out of the darkness and then Prince Xizor emerged, his fine clothes oddly free of the dust and grime that seemed to coat everyone else. "I don't see why I had to come to this miserable place. Unless, of course, Lord Vader was being incompetent as usual and required my assistance."

"Is the whole blasted Empire here?" Han complained, annoyed. Vader was bad enough but this…!

"The message young Skywalker sent was exceedingly specific." Palpatine replied as he finally removed his cold clammy hand from Luke's face. "He specified that the four of us meet him here in this magnificent Sith Temple."

"Only magnificent to you…" Han mumbled under his breath as he stood next to Leia uneasily.

"I didn't call you here!" Luke shouted angrily, his voice bouncing off the unseen walls and ceiling of the immense chamber. "And I'm not lying!"

"Hmmmmph! Well, someone called us here!" Palpatine glared at the four Rebels.

A loud voice boomed out of the darkness, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

I CALLED YOU HERE.

Then the door through which the Rebels had entered the chamber slammed shut, locking them all within the not-so-abandoned Sith Temple.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Torment 4

"Who said that?" Palpatine demanded as he turned around seeking the unseen speaker. "Show yourself! But I warn you, it is unwise to trifle with me."

IT IS I, TANTALUS.

Han moved closer to Leia as the low-timbered voice boomed out, the stone under his boots trembling with sound vibrations. The smuggler had an uneasy expression on his face as he scanned the darkness around them. He had no idea who this Tantalus was, but it sounded like the guy had issues that he wasn't very happy about. Reaching out, he gripped Leia's hand and squeezed it. "You know, I'm beginning to think the Kid was right after all. Coming in here was a bad idea, a very bad idea."

"You got my vote on that." Leia replied, squeezing Han's hand back. "But is this guy mad at us or the Empire?"

Darth Vader lowered Luke to the ground and released his shirt, his black breath-mask scanning for the source of the voice. It wasn't often that someone got one up on the Lord of the Sith and he didn't like it at all. Reaching onto his belt, his lightsaber was out in a snap and it hissed to life. The red blade sparkled and glowed, deadly to any who dare oppose him. "Stay close to me, my Son. Do not think of using this unexpected event as a means to escape."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Father." Luke replied, his fear only increasing at the odd turn of events. If he had to choose between a known enemy and an unknown one, in this situation he'd quickly choose his Father. At least he knew Vader wanted him alive and relatively uninjured. When the voice had spoken, the depth and power of the Dark Side had greatly increased and Luke feared they were to witness a battle between Siths. He couldn't even dream of what such a battle would be like but he feared few would survive.

Palpatine stared up towards the unseen ceiling, his wrinkled neck stretching. "What do you want? Why have you called us here?"

FOR CENTURIES I HAVE WAITED FOR ONE WHO CAN FREE ME FROM MY PRISON. NOW THE TIME HAS COME AND ONE OF YOU WILL BEGIN A NEW LIFE, A BETTER LIFE….

"Centuries?" Leia asked, confused. "How could anyone survive for centuries? I know there's some long-lived aliens but still…"

A BLESSED LIFE….

Without warning, the glowrods went out and they were all plunged into total darkness. Han yelped in fright and did Leia, Prince Xizor shouting something in his own language. Luke tightened his grip on his lightsaber, now one of the only sources of light in the room. His heart sped up inside his chest until he was sure it would burst. He didn't understand how this new Sith, if that's what he was, could shut all the glowrods off. Struggling to stop his lightsaber from shaking in fear, he glanced towards the now calming sight of his Father's long red blade and the blinking lights on his chest panel. A sense of relief filled him momentarily when he saw the power failure hadn't affected Vader's life support equipment. It was odd to be thinking such a thought about Vader, but then the entire situation was odd. Unfortunately, a lightsaber really wasn't meant as a light source and it hardly provided any light at all. He didn't dare swing his weapon for fear of hitting one of his comrades or the others. His mind raced for possible ideas but he came up blank. His Jedi skills weren't advanced enough to handle a situation where the adversary could flick off glowrods at will and apparently preventing the holders of such glowrods to turn them back on.

MY LIFE!

New lights flashed on without warning and Luke closed his eyes, the abrupt brightness painful. Carefully he squinted, the lids peeled open just enough to barely see until he adjusted to the brilliance. To his surprise, he could now see the entire room around him. An immense circular chandelier carved from wood and held high aloft by thick iron chains provided the light. Lit candles, held in place thanks to holes in the wood, flickered above in a draft. Scones along the walls held torches, their fire oddly brighter than it should be. In fact, the whole place was brighter than it should be and the young Jedi couldn't help but wonder how Tantalus had done it. The light in the room was more akin to modern lighting than this primitive style. Various out-dated weapons decorated the walls, their metal blades shining. And way at the front of the room sat an immense throne, the chair itself comprised of skulls and other assorted bones. A hand slid its fingers down Luke's back following his backbone but when he spun around to see who it was, no one was there. Fearing another phantom touch, he eased closer to his Father.

"Now I really don't like this." Han muttered, his dark eyes on the throne.

"What do you mean by that?" Palpatine demanded, his voice angry. "This temple is property of the Sith and you have no right being in here!"

I HAVE EVERY RIGHT! I BUILT THIS PYRAMID CENTURIES AGO AND IT IS MINE AND MINE ALONE. BUT I GROW TIRED OF BEING LOCKED INSIDE WITH NO WAY OF ESCAPE. ONE OF YOUR BODIES WILL PROVIDE THE WAY OUT FOR ME.

Realization dawned in Emperor Palpatine's eyes and he glanced towards Luke. "No! You cannot have him! He's mine!"

Luke gulped nervously, beads of sweat breaking out on his brow. His blue eyes scanned the room frantically for an exit. There just had to be a way out of this place! The preferred way would be the way they came in and he glanced back at the now closed door. Oddly enough, the pair of stone eyes was now on this side of the door and as Luke stared at them they actually blinked.

"This sort of thing isn't in my contract!" Prince Xizor said as he dashed towards the stone door. The eyes tilted on an angle as they glared angrily at him, a crease appearing in the stone surface of the door where the forehead would be. He tugged on it, his black topknot of hair bouncing wildly. When the door failed to open, he pounded on it with his pale green fists. "Let me out!"

NO ONE MAY LEAVE.

Lost in a wild state of panic, Xizor failed to listen. The Prince of Black Sun was normally cool-headed and reserved, but this was just too freaky. He continued to pound his fists on the door, his mind no longer rational. A mouth formed and opened on the door's stone surface, the new orifice sporting razor sharp teeth. Not noticing the new cavity, the Prince continued to bang his fists until one hand slipped inside the dark opening. Immediately the mouth closed and Xizor shrieked in pain. He leaned back on his heels and pulled frantically to free his trapped hand. Then a bluish-white bolt of lightning shot out from the chandelier and struck the Prince in his back. Xizor's body went slack and the door released his hand, his body collapsing onto the floor with a soft thud.

Everyone stared at Xizor.

Luke shivered as another phantom touch trailed down his back and then once again vanished. It was without doubt the creepiest thing he had ever experienced and he hated it. How was he supposed to fight something he couldn't see? A part of him longed to run to the fallen man and see if he was all right, but feared if he moved away from his Father's side something awful would happen to him. What, he didn't know but he could sense the malicious entity lurking in the room with them. They had dumbly entered the beast's lair and now they were trapped!

After a moment of hesitation, Han released Leia's hand and cautiously walked over to Xizor. Kneeling, he placed his finger's on the Prince's neck to feel for a pulse. Then he shook his head and stood. "He's dead."

HE WAS OF NO USE AND DOES NOT POSSESS THE POWER WITHIN THAT I NEED.

"Look," Han started to say to the thin air.

"Han! Be careful!" Luke warned. "The last thing you want to do is make it angry!"

"Look," Han continued anyway, his head tilted backwards to watch the lit chandelier high above. "There's been some mistake here. This is obviously some power struggle between you and Palpatine. So why don't you let us go?"

I SAID NO ONE IS LEAVING.

Han held his arms up in surrender and quickly hurried back to Leia's side, lowering them. "It was worth a shot anyway."

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Torment 5

Luke stared at Prince Xizor's body. It was hard for him to believe the man was dead. Sure, he had seen people die in battles and wars, but killed by some unseen spirit? Somehow this seemed so different, so creepy! The truth was he felt like the whole situation was out of his control and he might be forced to rely on his Father. His blue eyes shifted slightly so he could see Vader better. If Xizor's death bothered the Sith Lord, Luke certainly couldn't tell. How did his Father feel? Was he worried or scared? Angry? The mask he constantly wore hid all the facial expressions one normally relied on to learn such things. Besides, Vader was on the Dark Side and the last thing Luke wanted was to get too closely involved with the Sith. But what other choice did he have? This was way out of his league! And there was that _thing _that kept touching him…

"Father," Luke started to say as he stepped closer to Darth Vader, his eyes locked on the expressionless breath mask. "There's something I think you should know…"

"What is it, Son?" Vader replied, his voice echoing. But what it was he didn't get a chance to find out because a fight broke out between the Empire and the Rebels.

Han glared at Palpatine. "This is all your fault that we're trapped in here with a crazy … whatever it is!"

Mara Jade, unconcerned about Xizor's death, still stood with her viroblade aimed at the three Rebels. She had complete faith in her Master and that he'd handle the situation to their advantage. Still, her green eyes shifted occasionally towards young Skywalker; but he was behaving for the moment and sticking close to Vader. Still, if any of them attempted escape she'd be on them in a moment unless directed differently by her Master. When Han accused the Emperor, she reacted instantly and shoved her weapon closer to the smuggler.

"Jade, enough!" Palpatine said as he moved next to Luke and Vader. "I have a new assignment for you. I want you to guard young Skywalker here for me. It is he that Tantalus wants, I believe and I won't allow it!"

"Me?" Luke's blue eyes widened in shock as he stared at the Emperor and he quickly glanced at his Father, then back to Palpatine. "Why would he want me? I don't even know him!"

"Because you have the power, boy!" Palpatine moved closer and he placed one wrinkled and decayed hand on Luke's shoulder. "I will protect you, young one. As long as I'm alive Tantalus can't do you anything. Rest assured we'll get out of here and then you're training can begin."

Mara moved to Luke's side, her green eyes scanning him from his tousled hair to his wet boots and back again. A smile spread across her red lips and her eyes seemed to sparkle. "We meet again, Skywalker."

Luke gulped nervously and tried to move closer to Vader. He didn't like the expression Mara had in her eyes when she looked at him like that, like he was a tasty steak that she wanted to gobble up. She was ruthless, deadly and worst of all, she was a girl! That meant if he fought with her it would be unfair and he half feared she'd wipe the floor with his carcass. Yes, it would be totally unfair and the last thing he wanted was to be stuck with her as a bodyguard! Nervous sweat broke out on his hands and brow, a desperate trapped feeling growing inside him. "Look, I don't need a bodyguard!"

"Don't be foolish, young Skywalker." Palpatine replied, his foul breath blowing onto Luke's face. "You have no idea of the power the Dark Side has and what it can do. Do you really think you can take on a undead Sith spirit by yourself and win?"

Han stood there with his mouth hanging open, one hand half raised in the air. Then his eyes narrowed and a determined expression formed on his face. "Luke! Don't you listen to any of this!"

"An undead Sith Spirit?" Luke repeated, his fear growing. "Is that what I've been feeling touching me? But when I look there's nothing there!"

"It is as I have feared." Palpatine placed an arm around the young Jedi's shoulders. "Tantalus wants you. He is tired of being stuck in the afterlife as a bodiless spirit. So he needs a new body, one young and strong and that has the Force. So he plans on possessing you."

"P…Possessing?" Luke stuttered, utter horror gripping him tightly. The idea that the cold thing that had been touching his back actually wanted to possess him, to take over his body … why … it was hideous! Then once it was him, it'll go around doing all sorts of terrible atrocities and he'd get blamed!

Jade smiled. "Don't worry, Skywalker. I won't let the freak get you."

"My Master knows what's best, Son." Vader informed him. "Do not underestimate a Sith, even a dead one. You are not ready to take on such an opponent by yourself. I suggest you do as the Emperor says."

Luke stood there, uncertain. The Emperor's bony arm and hand rested upon his shoulders, an unpleasant scent wafting off him into his nostrils. He abruptly realized that he was now totally surrounded by the Empire and cut off from his friends. He was cold, wet and scared, locked inside a Sith Temple and being threatened by an undead spirit! Confusion swirled around in his mind and he wished he knew what he should do. He didn't want to become Palpatine's apprentice but he didn't want to get possessed, either.

"Luke!" Han cried again as he rushed over to him. Reaching past Jade and Vader, Han gripped Luke's hand and attempted to pull him away from the Emperor. "Don't you listen to any of this claptrap! It's all fake I tell you!"

"Fake?" Luke asked, confused. His arm was almost pulled out of its socket by Han's enthusiastic tugging and he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. The problem was Palpatine wasn't letting go and the frail old man must have been a lot stronger than Luke ever thought. He young Jedi struggled to keep his balance amidst this tug-of-war between the two groups.

"Don't you see, Kid? It's a hoax!" Han shouted, as he pulled harder. "The Emperor wants you as his new apprentice! He wanted you for years but you wouldn't cooperate! So he cooked up this spooky scam to scare you to his side, saying he's the only one that can protect you! Then once he has you you'll be trapped!"

"Stop it, Solo!" Jade warned as she pointed her viroblade at Han's neck. "I'd hate to kill you in front of your friend, but I will if I have to."

"This is not a hoax!" Palpatine cried. "Do you think I'd kill Prince Xizor? He was my ally!"

"You'd kill your own mother to get your hands on Luke!" Han accused angrily.

"STOP!" Luke shouted. "We'll never get out of this if we all start fighting! Like it or not, we have to work together. So I think we should call a temporary truce. I really don't know if this dead Sith is for real or not, but I know the Force is real and that some Force users can continue to exist after death. I don't see why the Sith can't, too. And something HAS been touching me on the back…"

Han frowned. He dropped Luke's hand and pointed an angry finger at the younger man. "I don't believe this! I stick my neck out for you and you decide to stick to his story! Well, I hope you know what you're doing, Kid."

"Leia? What do you believe?" Luke asked, glad the mad tug-of-war over him had finally ended.

Princess Leia had been silent through the whole exchange. "I certainly don't like them Empire, but I know this is out of my experience. I don't know what to think…"

Frustrated, Han threw his arms up in the air and stalked off. "I'm going to look around this room for another way out."

"That's a good idea." Leia replied and she followed the smuggler. They slowly made a circuit of the room until they reached the area directly behind the throne made of bones. "Hey! I think there's another door here!"

Hope blossomed in Luke's heart at the idea of escape, and then he remembered what had happened to Prince Xizor. "Leia! Be careful!"

"I'll open it." Han offered as he pushed the Princess on the side. An uncertain look on his face, Han reached out for the knob and turned it. The door clicked and silently swung open. His face changed to triumph, then the happiness vanished into despair when he saw where the doorway led. "Ah, it's nothing but a tiny empty room! It doesn't go anywhere at all!"

"At least we tried." Leia remarked as she glared at Palpatine.

The chandelier above them started to swing around wildly in circles, the moving light casting strange shadows on the walls and floor. An evil laughter filled the chamber and the lights started to flicker on and off.

Luke's heart leaped into his throat and he was thankful that Palpatine, Jade and Father were close. The flashing lights hurt his eyes and it made it difficult to see anything. He felt another arm circle around his waist and he almost leaped right off the floor in fright, but then he realized it was just Jade doing her duty. If he weren't so frightened he'd be terribly uncomfortable.

YOU'LL ALL DIE! DIE! DIE!

Then all the lights went out and the room was pitched into total darkness. Luke heard a loud crash followed by a strangled gasp, and then all was quite.

To be continued…

Author's Note: Sorry this is a tad late. I'll update this and my other stories soon! I've been having some computer problems and there was a power failure earlier today and I lost a big chunk of my story, so I was forced to rewrite.


	6. Chapter 6

Torment 6

Luke shivered in the dark, his sweaty hand clutching the lightsaber. What had been that loud crash that had caused the floor to tremble under his boots? And who had gasped so terribly? He leaned forward slightly, straining his eyes in a vain attempt to see something, anything in the utter darkness. He opened his mouth and then called out uncertainly, worry for his friends filling him. "Han? Leia? Are you all right?"

"I'm here!" Leia replied from the darkness, her voice seeming hollow and far away.

"What the heck was that loud bang?" Han asked, his voice also seeming to come from a great distance.

MAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"Would you just shut up?!" Han yelled at Tantalus, annoyed and in a foul mood.

A faint yellow glow appeared and Luke locked his gaze on it, frightened. At the moment he didn't feel much like a Jedi at all. A proper Jedi he knew shouldn't be scared of these other-worldly things, but he never had the full training his Father had been given, only a fast crash-course in the most basic of basics. All together he felt ill prepared and his conscious ate at him, knowing he should be helping in some way. The pale glimmer grew brighter and another soon joined it, than a third. Within a few heartbeats, a whole flock of the weak lights had appeared, hovering at waist height. They formed a wide circle around them, cutting off all avenues of escape. Then with a brilliant red flash that stung his eyes with its ferocity, the lights turned blood red.

Luke gasped in sheer horror when it became clear each red glow was coming from within a human skull that floated in the air, the fire within flickering from the empty eye sockets and nose opening. As he stared at them, the lower jaws flapped up and down madly, the now familiar evil laughter issuing forth. Without thinking of what he was doing, he clung to Mara, terrified. The skulls started zooming around the room in an aimless pattern, a long smoky fire trail in their wake. However horrible, the fire skulls provided a weak illumination that allowed them once again to see their surroundings, if poorly.

"NO! Chewie!" Han screamed and dashed across the large room in a wild panic.

Luke turned his head and spotted the big Wookie lying on the floor, the heavy round chandelier partly on top of him. The circular wooden frame hung around his neck like a bizarre piece of jewelry, too large even for someone of his size. Many of the candles had broken when it had hit the floor and broken bits of wax was scattered everywhere. The busted chain dangled across the Wookie's stomach and continued onto the floor, as still as a dead snake. He started to rush towards his friend, but Jade's arms around his waist held him back. "Chewie! Han, is he all right?"

Han skidded to a stop by his co-pilot's side and knelt down, feeling for a pulse at the fur-covered throat. Leia quickly joined him and she too crouched by Chewbacca.

Luke squirmed in Jade's grasp and shot her a dirty look. "Let go of me!"

"I can't." Jade replied, her grip as effective as if he were chained to a rock. "I have my orders to protect you and you're safer over here than over there. My Master knows what's best for you, Farmboy."

"But Chewie's hurt! I got to help him!" Luke replied as he tried to dig his boot heels into the smooth stone floor to gain more purchase.

"He's dead." Han stated, an oddly blank expression on his face.

"What?" Luke asked, sure he hadn't heard right. He stopped struggling with Jade and waited for Han to repeat what he had just said. "What did you say?"

"He's dead." Han repeated as he slowly rose to his feet, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

"But he can't be!" Luke protested, panic in his voice. Chewie couldn't be dead, he just couldn't be! Shock gripped him and he just stared at the limp body of his friend. How could he have died without him knowing about it? Certainly he should have felt it, know somehow?

"Well, he is and it's your new buddy's fault!" Han's eyes fell on his discarded blaster; the one Jade had kicked out of his hand earlier. He scrambled towards it and leaped. He landed in a smooth roll and came up on his knees with the energy weapon aimed square at Palpatine. "You're doing this! You killed Chewie!"

The fire skulls grew brighter, the fire pouring from the bottom of the skulls and tongues of flame leaping from their open mouths. There also seemed to be more of them and they zoomed along the room's walls, the loud crackling of the fire audible over the anguish in Han's voice. Luke felt the Dark Side increase in strength and power, the sinister nature of it freezing his blood. With sudden realization he realized this constant bickering was increasing Tantalus's strength. "Han! You have to stop this fighting! You're only egging him on! He wants us to fight each other, can't you see?"

"Yeah, I see all right, Kid. I see you joined your old man on the Dark Side! Maybe you did set this all up. How do I know you weren't scamming us from the beginning?" Han shifted the blaster off Palpatine and onto Luke. "Is that why you're so chummy with them, huh?"

"Han! What are you doing?!" Leia rushed towards the smuggler and gripped his blaster arm, trying to push the muzzle of the weapon away from her brother. "Have you gone crazy?! You can't shoot Luke! He's on our side and he'd never join the Empire!"

"Han, I swear I didn't arrange any of this!" Luke's fear jumped another notch, his pale blue eyes locked on the tiny round opening at the tip of the blaster. He'd never dream that one day Han would be pointing it at him. It was just unbelievable! He struggled to reach for the Jedi calm as Yoda had taught him, but his mind and body was too tense. His nerves were shot and the slightest unexpected sound would send him leaping ten feet into the air. The flame skulls constant cackling broke his concentration and he half feared he'd have a heart attack even at his age. The look of utter lost in his friend's eyes broke his heart, but he also knew it made the smuggler unpredictable. He could do anything in this state of grief, even murder his best friend.

Leia continued to struggle with Han for the blaster, the point of the muzzle swinging wildly all over the place.

The fire in the flying skulls blazed into blinding scarlet bonfires twelve feet tall and then vanished, the fires extinguished in a few seconds. The room was once again flooded with instant night and Luke felt a cold, damp breeze blow across his face. He heard the sound of the blaster discharging an energy bolt, the luminous red beam searing his eyes. Green afterimages danced before him crazily and he blinked frantically several times to clear them away. Someone cried out in pain and then he heard the loud thump of a body falling to the ground.

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Torment 7

Luke stood frozen in place, a part of him too frightened to move. Someone in the room had gotten shot with the blaster and he was anxious to find out whom it had been. Numerous scenarios ran through his mind, all too horrible to contemplate for more than a briefest second. Had Han shot his dear sister Leia? Or perhaps Han himself was the one lying on the floor now? He knew it wasn't Jade because the trained assassin still had her arms wrapped around him tightly, her hot breath wafting on his cheek. And he was relatively certain it hadn't been his Father, as he still heard Vader's mechanical breathing. A part of him yearned to stay this way in this state of not knowing but he knew that was impossible. Sooner or later Tantalus would provide some sort of illumination so they could all see the results of the weapon discharge.

A loud, ear-splitting rumble filled the air and the floor trembled under Luke's boots, the vibrations traveling up into his legs. All thoughts of who had gotten blasted fled from his overworked mind as a new threat surfaced. The horrible sound continued and a pale slit of yellow light appeared, this time on the floor. A huge block of stone was slowly moving, stone grating against stone to produce the deafening racket. The glowing rectangle of light grew larger and larger, the heavy block moving at a steady pace until it clicked into position with a resounding report of doom. Lazy tendrils of gray, sooty smoke rose upward from the now perfectly square burning pit and Luke's body filled with dread. He could sense all eyes were on the deep pit before him and apprehension filled the room. He could feel Mara tense alongside him, her slender muscular body preparing for the worst.

Something moved deep within and slowly the shadowy figure began to rise upwards. First a long pair of ivory twisted horns appeared, each longer than he was tall. The firelight flashed on the smooth surface turning it scarlet. Then the immense head emerged, or what was left of a head. It was a giant skull from some fantastic beast. It had a long snout that tapered to a rounded tip, the maw filled with sharp teeth. Luke figured the jaws were large enough to easily swallow a man whole if it wished to. A much smaller horn stuck up from the tip of the snout, just above the bony nostril openings. Red fire burned from within and flickered from the large diagonal eye sockets. The skull soared upward on the hot draft coming from the pit and hovered there in mid air effortlessly. Luke couldn't take his eyes off it. He stood memorized in place, as if hypnotized.

SOON VICTORY WILL BE MINE!

Bravely Mara moved between Luke and the giant flaming skull. The smaller flame skulls began to wink into existence around the room and she didn't let this deter her.

Darth Vader, however, used the light provided by the numerous skulls to determine whom the blaster had shot. To his dismay, it was as he had feared. The Sith Lord moved closer to Luke and placed both hands on his son's shoulders and forcibly turned Luke around. "Son, Palpatine is dead. The blaster shot must have took him by surprise and he wasn't prepared for it. He cannot protect you any more, but I will do my best."

Luke's eyes widened as he took in Palpatine's body lying close by on the floor. The Emperor looked the same dead as he had alive: a wrinkled, rotten corpse. Raw panic started to gnaw at his soft innards and he twirled to face the immense hovering skull. The lightsaber's metal handle felt slippery in his sweaty hands and he struggled to hold the blade steady. Palpatine had been the only one standing between him and Tantalus, but now he was gone, taken out by a stray blaster bolt. His eyes shifted momentarily to Han, but he couldn't be angry with his grief-stricken friend. Yelling at Han wouldn't accomplish anything worthwhile and would just make matters worst. Tantalus seemed to feed on their rage and hatred, so he would have to stick with the Jedi ideals Yoda had pounded into his head during his brief training.

"Ha! Look at that!" Han said as he finally noticed Palpatine dead on the floor. "I killed the old coot by accident!"

Vader shook a fist at the smuggler. "You have just sentenced us all to death!"

"He was the one killing everybody!" Han argued hotly, and then doubt filled his eyes as he gazed at Vader's black breath mask, red reflections on the smooth black metal. "Unless it was you…"

"Han, please!" Luke pleaded with his friend, aggravation growing inside him. He was getting fed up with Han's constant bickering and accusations. "Don't start blaming Father now! Do you want me to end up possessed by that thing over there? I know you're hurt over Chewie's death, but we have bigger problems at the moment!"

"Han, I think you should listen to Luke…" Leia placed a hand on the smuggler's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Perhaps for once in his life Palpatine was telling the truth. He did want to catch Luke after all. And once he had us there was no need to go through all this elaborate planning!"

"But look what he has to gain!" Han pointed out. "With both Palpatine and Xizor dead, that leaves HIM in charge! Plus he has Luke's trust to boot! I think its simple murder with a flashy light show."

Luke stared at Han, his mind whirling out of control. Could his friend be right? Could the skulls be nothing more than special effects his Father had rigged up to kill Palpatine and become Emperor? He imagined himself as his Father's right hand man, a fleet of Star Destroyers at his command. The entire galaxy would lie at his feet and he'd have his Father's love. Wealth beyond his wildest dream would be his, power…yes; it all would be there. They could do so much good for the galaxy. But then his vision snapped and he realized in that scenario his Father would be a cold-blooded killer. He realized that Vader had killed before, but he usually had a reason for it. This whole thing just didn't seem to be his style and he prayed that the Sith Lord hadn't changed so much in a short period of time. He was still relatively sure that Tantalus was real and wanted to possess his body for no good. "Han, I think Tantalus is real and this isn't any case of murder for power…"

"Well, I'll PROOVE it to you!" Han muttered as he stalked towards the large flaming skull that had come out of the pit.

"Han! Don't!" Luke cried, his heart leaping into his throat. He dashed past Jade and ran towards his friend, all thoughts of his own safety vanishing. "It'll kill you!"

Luke reached Han and gripped the man by his arm. The giant horned skull was directly above them and Luke could feel the intense heat from the flames searing his skin, as if he was on Tatooine once again under the double suns. The heat didn't exactly burn, but it felt very uncomfortable and he didn't think he'd be able to stand it for too long. Digging his heels into the smooth floor, Luke tried to haul Han back towards the others. "Please, Han! Listen to me…"

But the smuggler shook Luke off and turned around to face the younger man, waving a finger at his nose. "This is a scam and I'm going to prove it to you!"

The flame skull, fire crackling loudly, tilted as if it were staring down at them with its empty eye sockets. As Luke stared up into those burning sockets an immense cold swept through his body and he was forced to look elsewhere, fear of possession filling him. Before he could grab Han again, the smuggler reached up and stretched his arm while standing on tiptoe. His fingertips brushed against the skull's chin. A radiant bluish-white light appeared and zapped Han, the energy crackling loudly. The smuggler was flung across the room where he crashed to the floor. It had all happened so fast that Luke hadn't had a chance to do anything to save him.

Luke spun around, intending to dash to Han's side but saw that Leia was already there, kneeling by his side. Her face was sad and she shook her head, silent tears on her face. "It killed him."

To be continued…


	8. chapter 8

Torment 8

Luke's mouth dropped open, horrified. He had feared this might happen, but to actually have it happen! Slowly he turned around and faced the skull again. It still hovered in the same spot, fire leaping from its eye sockets and leaking from its nose. Defiant, Luke waved a fist at the unworldly thing. "You won't get me! I refuse to give in!"

He felt hands grip his arm tightly and he was hauled away from the floating monstrosity. Turning around, he saw that it was Mara that had his arm.

"Are you just stupid, Farmboy, or are you trying to kill yourself?" Mara muttered, angry with him. "Palpatine ordered me to protect you and that's what I'll do! But don't go near that thing again!"

"I suggest we take cover behind the throne." Vader instructed as he ushered the remaining individuals towards the chair made of skulls. It was the only spot in the room that provided the slightest bit of shelter. "We must stay focused and think of a way to defeat Tantalus. I will form a shield to deflect any energy bolts he flings this way."

Luke squeezed into the narrow gap between the chair and the wall, the doorknob for the tiny room stabbing him painfully in the back. There wasn't much room behind the bone throne and he, Leia and Mara barely fit. Somehow he had gotten squashed between the two women, as they deemed him the intended target for possession. All the good times he had shared with Han and Chewie floated to the forefront of his mind and he grieved silently. If only they had listened to him in the beginning! He had warned them numerous times that the Sith Temple was dangerous!

"There must be some way we can get out of this!" Leia commented as she raked her brain for ideas. "Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Sith and certainly not dead ones…"

"Maybe we only need to get out of this room." Luke said hopefully as he shifted slightly, trying to ease the pain in his back. But however he shifted the doorknob kept stabbing him. "If we could get back into that hallway, we could climb the stairs and get out of here!"

"Yeah, but the last guy that opened that door got bitten and killed." Leia commented as she wiped tears from her eyes.

The massive skull floated closer, the red light from its burning fires visible from the top of the chair. Luke's heart skipped a beat as he realized this hiding place wouldn't last much longer. In fact, it was kind of stupid really. Now the skull had them pinned down with nowhere left to go. Worst, his Father was out in the open, as there wasn't enough room for all of them behind the chair. He had lost enough of his friends today, he certainly didn't want to loose any more.

I WILL WIN AND THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME!!!

Tantalus laughed, the evil cackling knocking strings of cobwebs from the ceiling. Leia covered both ears with her hands in a lame attempt to stop the awful sound.

ONE BY ONE YOU WILL ALL DIE AND THEN I'LL HAVE THE ONE I WANT! YOU CANNOT PROTECT HIM FOREVER!!!

"Can't we just chop it up with our lightsabers?" Luke asked, faint hope in his voice.

"If it would be that simple, Son, I would have done it long ago…"

The skull started shooting red beams of energy out of its burning eye sockets. They hit the rounded shield Vader had erected using the Force and they bounced off. But each strike seemed to turn the invisible shield more and more red. Sensing that the shield was failing, Luke tried to join his strength to Vader's, but he wasn't nowhere near that advance in his Force studies yet. In truth, he was lucky if he could levitate things.

A blast got through, shattering the bone throne into tiny fragments, the sharp pieces biting into Luke's skin. He threw up his arms in a vain effort to protect his face from the sharp shards.

ONE OF YOU WILL NOW DIE!!

Mara quickly leaped in front of Luke, shielding him with her body. He was beginning to get tired of hiding behind Jade and felt responsible for the others' deaths. They hung heavily around his neck like boulders dragging him down into a bottomless sea. The need to do something was eating at his soul, but he was unsure of just what he could do against an undead Sith. It seemed hopeless and a no-win scenario…

The skull cackled and tossed another red bolt, this one striking Leia and flinging her across the room.

"Leia! NO!" Luke screamed and he tried to run to his sister, but Mara gripped him tightly around the wrist and hung on for all she was worth. Then Vader moved in and blocked Luke's path.

"There is nothing you can do, Son." Vader informed him in the mechanical voice. "The last option we have is the closet there behind you."

"I'm not going to hide in some closet!" Luke protested wildly, his blue eyes still on Leia's still form. Then his gaze shifted to the monstrous skull that floated in midair. It was some freak of nature and he was a Jedi! Jedi Knights didn't hide in closets but faced their opponents with their emotions under control. Throughout this entire encounter he had feared the Sith Temple and the ghostly apparition that had been stalking him, often touching him with invisible hands. Well, he had tried that route and he had failed miserably. It wasn't up to one Sith to destroy another, but for Jedi to destroy Sith. He closed his eyes for a few brief seconds and allowed himself to sink into meditation, to find his calm center. When he was once more in control of himself, he reopened his eyes and stared at the great horned flaming skull. His fear of it evaporated and Luke shouted bravely. "I'm not afraid of you! Do you hear me? I'm a Jedi and I'll send you back where you came from! You're not getting out of this building, I promise you that!"

Then Vader and Mara opened the closet door and shoved Luke inside. Mara squeezed in with him and she pulled the door shut from within.

Alone, Darth Vader faced the flaming skull.

To be continued…..


	9. Chapter 9: the Conclusion

Torment 9

Luke found himself jammed in the dark, narrow closet with Mara and his anxiety instantly soared skyward. His back was pressed against the damp limestone wall behind him, yet she was pressed right up against him. This tiny room was obviously too small for two people to be jammed inside it together and he wished there was some way he could escape; not that he didn't exactly dislike Mara. It was just being alone with her like this … as if he didn't have enough to worry about with Tantalus out there and all his friends dead. Warmth from her body soaked into his damp clothes and he could feel her hot breath on his face.

"So Farmboy, what are you going to do now?" Mara asked as she slipped her hands up onto his shoulders.

"I don't know." Luke admitted nervously as he tried unsuccessfully to shove himself farther against the wall. "I guess wait for Tantalus to kill everyone…"

"I thought you were really brave standing up to him like that. Most people would have run from that flaming dragon skull." A smile spread across Mara's lips although it was invisible in the dark.

"A dragon skull? Is that what it is?" Luke asked as he felt her hands snake around the back of his neck. He could feel her press closer and his nervousness soared to an all time high.

"Do you know how hard it was to get you into this closet, Farmboy? Of all the maneuvering I had to do?"

Confusion exploded in Luke's brain. "What are you talking about? That thing out there killed everyone!"

Mara leaned closer and kissed Luke, her arms tightening around him. His eyes grew wide in shock, and then he relaxed a bit and kissed her back. He was just starting to enjoy the kiss when the closet door flew open, blinding white light flooding the tiny room. Loud clapping could be heard and Luke squinted out at the sudden mass of people grouped around the open door. To his utter astonishment; Han, Leia and Chewie were all miraculously alive! His bottom jaw fell open and he just gawked at them. "You were dead … How did you … I …"

"You should see your face, Kid!" Han laughed.

Squeezing away from Mara, Luke rushed at his three friends and hugged each one joyfully. After hugging Han, Chewie and Leia, he noticed that Palpatine and Xizor were alive as well. Determined to find out exactly what was going on, he marched over to Palpatine. On the way, he noticed that the flaming dragon skull still hovered in the air except now it was over the center of the room. All the tiny flame skulls had arranged themselves at shoulder height around the walls placed evenly apart, as if they were serving as lighting fixtures. His Father, Darth Vader, stood next to Palpatine and apparently was waiting for his arrival. A new person, one he had never seen before, stood next to Vader and was dressed in the gray clothing of an Imperial Officer. Prince Xizor stood on Palpatine's other side, a bored expression on his greenish face.

"What exactly is going on here?" Luke demanded to know angrily.

"Congratulations, Skywalker." Palpatine said. "You have passed your Trials and have become a full Jedi Knight. I had tried to sway you to the Dark Side but even in your darkest moment your heart was pure and you would not be swayed. Many a Knight, your Father included, can't stand to see their friends die and go over to the Dark Side. But you stood your ground."

"So this whole thing was some kind of test?" Luke's mouth hung open. It was just too weird to be believable! "But why would my friends cooperate with such a crazy thing? They don't even LIKE you!"

Palpatine cackled. "Perhaps, but Jade likes you or haven't you noticed?"

Luke's face reddened in embarrassment when he realized they had probably saw him kissing with Mara. The young Jedi looked dumbfounded at the four Imperials. "They wanted me to get together with Mara? Well, that's crazy!"

"Hey, Kid!" Han said as he came over and threw an arm around Luke's shoulders. "I asked you before to go to a party that Mara was going to be at and you kept making excuses! You know me and Leia are together and well, we didn't want you to be by yourself with only that Jedi hocus-pocus stuff, so we thought a girlfriend would be good for you. Mara was interested and well, if I'm not mistaken you're a tad interested in her yourself. But seriously, Luke, you need to learn to relax! You won't believe all the trouble we went through to cook up this whole Tantalus thing."

"But…it was real! I mean, it's right THERE!" Luke pointed at the flaming dragon skull that floated up near the ceiling, red fire flickering in the eye sockets and nostril holes.

"That, my boy, is my favorite autumn decoration." Palpatine explained, a smile on his wrinkled face. "And those little skulls are decorations as well. Your Father and me used the Force to move them around the room. It's a simple enough thing to do. Admiral Piett here was the creepy voice you heard. We used a voice changer, of course."

"It's the most fun I had all year." Piett admitted, relieved he had done his unusual assignment well and that his superiors were pleased with his performance.

"Of course, I'm disappointed you won't be joining the Dark Side, but then, you are still young. Perhaps a few years from now you'll change your mind…" Palpatine waved his hand in the air and music started up. While he had been in the closet with Mara, a band had set up in a corner and now they played a lively tune.

"I am proud of you, my Son." Vader told Luke and hugged him. He pulled back and studied him at arm's length. "You have succeeded where I have failed. I never could stand to see my loved ones die and I always went to pieces, my anger and lust for revenge getting the better of me. That's how I ended up on the Dark Side."

"That's why you wouldn't let me go near any of the bodies … because they weren't really dead and I'd notice!" Luke exclaimed with sudden realization.

"Things are not always what they seem, Son." Vader put a hand on Luke's shoulder and gently turned him around. A long table of food had been set up against one wall and the Sith Lord gently led him in that direction. "Now let us go get something to eat and we can discuss what you learned today. And perhaps we could talk about your feelings for Jade as well…"

"Well, I'm just glad it's over and that none of it was real!" Luke admitted, relieved that things were more or less back to normal. "But I still don't see how Han and Leia could have arranged this whole thing with Palpatine. Do you think there's a possibility for peace between our two groups and that this war could end? I mean, if they could cooperate long enough for this…"

"You're thinking like a Knight already." Vader informed him as they reached the food-laden table covered in autumn treats. "In the old days, the Jedi were the peace keepers."

"Really? Tell me more about the old days, Father." Luke picked up a pumpkin muffin with walnuts and started munching, content. He caught Mara's eye and smiled in her direction. Perhaps when he was done talking to Father, he'd ask her to dance with him. All in all, the day had turned out a lot brighter than he had ever expected.

THE END


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